The ICC Executive Board today gave full endorsement to the findings and recommendations contained in the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit Report on Corruption in International Cricket.

The Board voted unanimously to give Sir Paul Condon's Report its full backing. ICC President Malcolm Gray said: " The ICC has approved the Report in full and will be implementing all of its recommendations. We are totally committed to addressing corruption in cricket and our priority in implementing the recommendations is to prevent corruption taking place in future."

"The process of implementation will progressively strengthen the game's ability to counter and prevent corrupt practices from re-emerging. A global infrastructure based around these recommendations can be a powerful deterrent to the corruptors who, regrettably, continue to target international cricket."

Sir Paul Condon, Director of the Anti-Corruption Unit, commented: "I am pleased to see the Board's commitment and resolve in adopting the findings and recommendations of my Unit's Report."

Commenting on the future role of the ACU he said:" Our investigations are ongoing and we will continue to support other corruption enquiries around the world. Increasingly, and correctly, the focus will put emphasis on the future integrity of the game rather than on its past problems. We continue to work towards our original objective of achieving an irreducible minimum level of malpractice by the time of the World Cup in South Africa in 2003. I remain confident that with the active involvement of all parties this is a realistic and achievable goal."

Incoming ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed, who takes up his post in early July, has been given responsibility by the Executive Board to develop a strategy for implementation of the ACU's recommendations. Progress achieved against this plan will be reviewed on a regular basis, with a first update planned for the October 2001 Executive Board meeting in Sri Lanka.

Malcolm Gray concluded: " World cricket now has a plan, a direction and a united resolve to overcome the corruption problem. There is still much to do, but the implementation of the ACU Report begins from today and we will be judged by the progress we make on it over the next 12 months.

I repeat what I said at the time the ACU Report was published; that we want followers of the game to have no doubt that the ICC is treating this issue with the utmost importance, and taking real steps to eradicate it. Our sole priority is to protect the long term health of the sport, and no one should doubt our determination to achieve this aim."

Media contacts:
Mark Harrison
ICC Communications Manager
Tel: + 44 20 7266 7913/1818
mark.harrison@icc.cricket.org

Jonathan Hemus / Ian Barber
Countrywide Porter Novelli
Tel: + 44 1295 224478/224563
jonathan.hemus@cpn.co.uk / ian.barber@cpn.co.uk

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